


Zoo Antics

by Formula_Tea



Series: Tumblr Prompts [5]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Zoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-14
Updated: 2015-04-14
Packaged: 2018-03-22 22:22:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3745615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Formula_Tea/pseuds/Formula_Tea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dan babysitting Max and Carlos and taking them to the zoo." Ok, this became less of Dan babysitting and more of the Dans having adopted Max and Carlos. Sorry about that. And the title is shit. Sorry about that too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zoo Antics

**Author's Note:**

  * For [siriuslywinchester](https://archiveofourown.org/users/siriuslywinchester/gifts).



“Carlos! Carlos, _slow down_. Right, yeah. Just stay there, ok? Come on, Maxy.”

“I am _not_ Maxy,” the toddler said, coming to a halt again.

Dan sighed and stopped too, glancing up at Carlos to make sure the other little boy was waiting as he had been told before going back to Max, crouching in front of him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, grinning. “If I promise not to call you Maxy again, will you come and walk with me?”

“You promise?” Max asked, suspiciously.

“I promise,” Dan said.

“Alright then,” Max said, but the look on his face said he didn’t believe him. He let Dan take his hand, and they made their way over to where Carlos was waiting patiently for them. Or as patiently as a six year old at the zoo can, rocking back and forth from his heels to his toes and back again.

Dan sighed, relieved. He’d never realised this was going to be so much hard work. All they’d done so far was walk from the car to the ticket desk and through to the main entrance and they’d already had three arguments (“Dany doesn’t make me wear the reigns” “how come Carlos can go to the toilets by himself and I can’t” “stop calling me Maxy”).

It was the only day Dan had been able to get off for weeks, and it was a day Dany just couldn’t get off, he was taking the boys to the zoo himself. It wouldn’t be that hard, he’d thought. A six year old and a four year old. What could possibly go wrong?

“Can see the monkeys!” Carlos said, grabbing hold of Dan’s hand to try and drag him in the direction he wanted to go in.

 

Carlos had grown tired, walking along beside Dan and Max after the initial excitement of the zoo had worn off. Ice cream had picked up both boys spirits for a short while, but Max was already beginning to complain about being bored, Carlos nodding along in agreement.

Until they spotted the meerkats.

Max was crouched down in front of the glass, unable to see over the bar, whilst Carlos stood on his toes, just about able to see over the edge, into the meerkats’ enclosure.

The animals were just stood on the bare dusty rocks, surveying their small audience. Dan watched the boys, glad they had stopped complaining at last. They both seemed completely awestruck and, whilst everyone else peered into the enclosure for a couple of moments before wandering off around the rest of the zoo, Max and Carlos had been stood, watching the statue-like meerkats for twenty minutes before Dan tried to move them.

“Shall we go over and look at something else, boys,” he asked, taking hold of Carlos’ hand.

“Are like statues,” Carlos said.

“They’re watching us,” Max said.

“Yeah,” Dan said, slowly, a little confused. He didn’t understand why they liked the meerkats so much, but he was getting a little bored himself now and he couldn’t get any mobile connection at this end of the zoo. “Let’s go.”

“Want to stay here,” Max said.

“Come on,” Dan said. “I think there’s more ice cream by the penguins. Shall we go there next?”

“Yes!” Carlos said, jumping away from the fence. Ice cream could get the little Spaniard to do whatever Dan wanted him to. Max looked up at him, though, less easily convinced. The toddler pouted, unimpressed.

“Want to stay here,” Max said.

“You can’t stay here all day, mate,” Dan laughed.

“Dany would let me,” Max said. The phrase had become the toddler’s new _thing_. Dan had asked if he was the same when Dany was looking after the pair of them, but the Russian had said he hadn’t noticed.

“No, he wouldn’t,” Dan said, holding out his other hand for Max to take.

“Come on, Max,” Carlos said, bouncing again. “Ice cream. Twice in one day.”

“And we’ll go to the gift shop if there’s enough time,” Dan said, wiggling his fingers.

Max was still pouting, but he took hold of Dan’s hand and let the Australian pull him up.

 

Dan had turned his back for thirty seconds. It couldn’t have been any more than that. He’d dropped the fiver and went to chase after it. He was back at the ice cream van in seconds. But Max had still found a way to disappear.

“Where did he go?” Dan asked, pulling Carlos out of the queue.

Carlos shrugged, licking his ice cream.

“Carlos, where is your brother?” Dan asked. He couldn’t have lost him. Dany was going to kill him.

“Don’t know,” Carlos said. “If he isn’t here, can I have his ice cream?”

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._

“You wait right here, ok,” Dan said. He looked around, searching for someone he could leave Carlos with, but there wasn’t anybody. “Don’t move from this spot.”

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit…_

 

Max liked it here. It was quiet here, and the meerkats knew how to be still and how to hide. They came out of their holes to watch him, and sometimes they’d run inside, like he was scary. But then they’d come out, because they knew he wasn’t scary. Not really. He liked them.

He could be a meerkat, he thought. He could be really quiet, and run away from scary things. He could come and live with the meerkats. They wouldn’t call him Maxy. And they would look out and make sure there wasn’t anything scary. Yes, he would like it with the meerkats lots.

Max stood, looking around to see if he could find a way in to the enclosure.

“Oh dear,” a lady said. “Sweetie, wait there a second. Let me speak to this little boy.”

There was no way in. He was going to have to speak to a zoo keeper. Maybe they would be able to help him. Mummy and Daddy had said no speaking to strangers, but there had been a lot of strangers to speak to when Mummy disappeared, so he didn’t think one more would matter.

“Hello,” the lady said, crouching down in front of Max. “Are you lost?”

Max shook his head. Why would the lady think he was lost when Dan was- right. Dan wasn’t with him. He should probably go back and find Dan, tell him he was going to live with the meerkats now.

“What’s your name?” the lady asked.

“Max,” Max mumbled. He needed the lady to leave him alone so he could go and find Dan, but he couldn’t remember where he’d left him.

“Right then,” the lady said, taking hold of Max’s hand. “Max, I’m going to take you to some people who can find your mummy and daddy, ok?”

“No!” Max said quickly. He couldn’t go back to Mummy and Daddy. He didn’t even know where they were. He needed to go and find Dan. He pulled against the lady’s hand, but she wouldn’t let him go.

“It’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you,” the lady said.

“Dan!” Max called, but he knew Dan was too far away for him to hear. “Daaaaaaaaaaaaan!”

“It’s ok, sweetie, I’ll take you back to Daddy.”

“No,” Max shook his head. She didn’t understand. “Daaaaaaaaan!”

“Oi!”

Max’s head shot up, tears already running down his chubby red cheeks, to find Dan running over. The Australian was trying to hide how breathless he was, having run around half the zoo before realising where he would be able to find Max.

The lady let go of Max’s hand and the toddler flew into Dan’s arms.

“Hey, Maxy – I mean Max,” Dan said, rocking the little boy gently. “I’m here now, don’t worry.”

Dan took a deep breath, closing his own eyes for a moment.

“You should really keep an eye on him,” the lady said.

“And you should mind your own business,” Dan snapped.

“She was going to take me back to Daddy,” Max said. “I didn’t mean to run away. Promise. I’m sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Dan said, quietly. “Let’s just not mention this to Dany or anybody, ok? I think it’s best we go back to Carlos and go home, yeah?”

“What about the gift shop?” Max asked, pulling away from Dan to look up at him. “Want one of those.”

He pointed back into the meerkat enclosure, where three of the animals were stood, trying to see what all the fuss was about.

“We’ll see if they have any meerkats,” Dan said. Next time they went on a day trip, they were doing it with all four of them. He didn’t think he could handle this much excitement alone again.


End file.
